


Orbiting

by thesalmondean



Series: Interludes [9]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Gen, Longing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 08:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11779140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesalmondean/pseuds/thesalmondean
Summary: Robert and Aaron have a brief conversation on the street. A short "missing" scene from the 10 Aug 2017 episode.





	Orbiting

Robert stood outside the Woolpack, on the edge of the street, looking down at his phone and considering the combating emotions surging through him.

_Your dad's headstone has been damaged. Going to see with Victoria now._

It was from this morning, and he'd already talked to Vic about repairing or replacing the headstone...but still there were unresolved and unrelenting and confusing emotions coursing through him. And they weren't helped by the significant manipulations he'd just laid on Lawrence and Rebecca. It had been the hardest yet - the most draining of lies to tell. As if Lawrence's life was worth even a fraction of Jack Sugden's life. Robert may have had issues with his father, but he loved him and admired him and knew he was a proud man who commanded respect because he lived with integrity...something none of the White's had ever done in their lives. 

Regardless, Robert was glad to be free of their company, even if just for a few moments; he'd already told Rebecca he'd be back up to Home Farm to go over invoices and such with her.

"Heya," Aaron's voice from his left shoulder startled Robert; he hadn't heard him approaching.

Robert nodded and pocketed his phone, his gaze briefly turning up the street towards the cemetery before he cast his eyes back to Aaron.

"I heard. I mean, Adam told me what happened," Aaron said, cautiously.

They hadn't spoken since the previous day, when Aaron had walked away from him...again. When Aaron had told Robert they were bad for each other. When Robert had, through veiled speech and with more honesty then he'd expressed in days, tried to beg for Aaron to come back to him and save him from himself. He would see this thing with the White's through - because he wanted them all to pay for ruining his life - but he would drop the vendetta in a second if it meant he could have Aaron back.

"Yeah," Robert responded vaguely, holding his emotions in check. He wanted to talk to Aaron - really talk - but he could tell Aaron didn't want him too. He cared, it seemed, but not enough....and that hurt more than any damage to any headstone ever would.

Aaron nodded, biting his lower lip and Robert felt his heart ache.

"You alright?" Aaron finally asked.

Robert heard genuine concern and he desperately wanted to reach out and touch Aaron. To pull him in and hold him and bury his face into his neck and breath in his scent and never let him go...

"Yeah. Fine," Robert replied with a slight gasping of breath, as if he'd just run a few miles. He suspected Aaron knew what he wanted, what was going through his head.

"Maybe now's the time to talk to Diane and Vic. About-," Aaron paused and rolled his hand in the air, "you know."

Robert bit back a smile, and a wave of sadness. That day, telling Aaron about his dad and what had happened...that had been a real turning point for him, and for their relationship (not the least of which because Aaron nearly died and they got engaged). But now when he thought about it, it only made the pain of all he'd lost that much sharper, and crueler. 

"Yeah. Maybe," was all he replied. He knew he wouldn't talk to them, not now and probably not ever, but he felt fractionally better knowing Aaron cared enough to at least continue to encourage him to talk about his dad to his family.

"Just...-," Aaron paused, his mouth open as he stared at Robert with sad eyes, "take care of yourself."

And with that, Aaron moved past Robert and continued up the street. Robert watched him go, feeling better and worse about it all at the same time. He missed Aaron. He missed him so much at night when he was alone in his bed he thought he might die from how lonely and alone he felt. Watching him walk away was like salt in the wound.

Suddenly his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, Robert glanced down to see a text from Rebecca wondering if he was on his way. Robert sighed and closed his eyes, steeling himself for more of his act.

Had he still been watching Aaron, he would have seen him turn around and look back towards Robert near the top of the road.


End file.
